The Chase (1994)

I wanted to but couldn't!

A different way of telling a story

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Jack Hammond (Charlie Sheen) is an escaped convict and kidnaps Natalie Voss (Kristy Swanson) with a Butterfinger at a gas station. Officer Dobbs (Henry Rollins) and Officer Figus (Josh Mostel) are patrolling Newport Beach with a reality show crew when the call comes in. It's a run for the border with the only daughter of wealthy prominent California industrialist Dalton Voss (Ray Wise) being broadcast live.This does play off of the 24/7 news world and breaking news. That's interesting for a little while but it wears thin. This is basically a non-stop car chase movie for 80 minutes. Writer/director Adam Rifkin is unable to come up with story elements to keep the movie interesting. This wants to be funny but the stupidity usually fails to get a laugh. The car chase is not that exciting and it get monotonous. Also Sheen and Swanson don't have any chemistry. There's a lot of screaming and a lot of yelling. The eventual romance is awkwardly forced. There's also no tension.

Jackson "Jack" Hammond is sentenced to 25 years in prison for armed robbery, although he claims to be innocent, but manages to escape on the way to Mexico. To get away from the police while at a convenience store, he takes a girl as hostage California heiress Natalie, and drives off in her car. She happens to be the daughter of billionaire Dalton Voss, one of the richest men in the state. In a while the car chase is quickly being broadcast live on every TV-channel, covering the event from helicopters, the backseat of a police car, the pavement of the highway etc.....Back in the early nineties, before he went off the rails, and changed his name to Charles, Sheen made some very strange, but inspired movies.This was one of the last of those movies, and it's fun, but when you watch it, you understand why this is one of those movies that rarely pops up on TV, and never really mentioned in movie talk.It's almost like the nice little sister to Natural Born Killers, the media coverage is ride here, and thus turning the whole proceedings way over the top. And I guarantee when you see this movie you will think of the O.J Simpson facade that was all over TV.With great support from Swanson, Rollins, and a couple of the Chillis, The Chase is basically a parody that works, but was cruelly overlooked when released back in 1994.Well worth seeking out though.

I'm giving it 8 stars for reasons other than Kristy Swanson. Yes, obviously this movie isn't a masterpiece nor was it made to be. It was made to be a fun action movie that wouldn't disappoint. I watch this movie ALL the time and it never gets old (premium channels seem to LOVE it). The plot is so simple that it leaves so much room for climax and twists...if that makes any sense. I mean, how could you go wrong with Ron Jeremy filming news coverage of Charlie Sheen being chased down by Henry Rollins and the Red Hot Chili Peppers while falling in love with Buffy the Vampire Slayer at 120 mph?! You can't. This one's a classic in my book (which also includes Weekend at Bernie's, Home Alone, and Bandits).

The writer needs an editor. At one point, it's suggested that there was blood at the murder which didn't correspond with Sheen's character's blood type, and would have exonerated him had it not been thrown out by poor police investigative work. Huh? Any one with a modicum of legal knowledge (like watching TV, for crying out loud) would realise that faulty police work only results in evidence being excluded for the prosecution's case. The defense wouldn't ever object to evidence which was exculpatory in nature, rather than inculpatory.Perhaps they just sent him to jail for poor acting and serial abuse of girlfriends and intoxicants?